Fire Next Time puts on a live show that nobody should miss. Stomping, dark folk songs played by a wild rock band. Lyrics that are sad and poetic, but that leave you smiling. Sweaty energy is promised. Fire Next Time are pure energy. Pure sincerity. Take a bunch of punk rockers and put them in a folk band. Every member has the best time of his life at every show and you can feel it. They will blow you away. They released the critically acclaimed Wild Rose Sorrow last year and have just released the 7” Bend Like A Northern Light. Vocalist James Renton has also just put out an album of Townes Van Zandt covers for free download.
Audio/Rocketry continue the songwriting tradition of Woody Guthrie, but if he grew up listening to Propagandhi. Vocalist Joe Vickers writes the kind of songs that you hear for the first time and you find yourself singing along halfway through–pretty, catchy folk songs sung with a punk rock passion. Authentic without being sappy and smart without being a dick about it. Guthrie would be stoked that people still write songs the way they should be written.
“I’ve seen over 300 shows at Wunderbar last year and had the opportunity to see a lot of great bands,” says New Waterford native Craig Martell, who co-owns the happening Edmonton bar. “Audio/Rocketry and Fire Next Time, The Joe and Doug Hoyer stood out as doing something special. Making great music, putting on world class live shows and just being amazing people. I’ve watched their reputations grow and watched the city of Edmonton fall in love with them. Musically, I think it translates really well to what Cape Bretoners would be into. It just seemed logical.”
Local acts The Danny MacNeil Band, Rebecca’s Room, Heartwood Slacks, Hash Jesus, Ladyslippers and Bella Rebellion will be joining the out of towners.
“Picking supporting acts was easy,” says Martell. “I just picked the bands in Sydney that I really enjoy. At the end of the day, I’m a music fan who gets excited about this sort of thing. I want the Edmonton bands to see the Cape Breton bands and vice versa. Just spreading good music around. It makes you feel good.”
The shows are Saturday night, August 6 at the Upstairs with The Danny MacNeil Band and Rebecca’s Room and Sunday night, August 7, at the Sydney Curling Club with
Heartwood Slacks, Hash Jesus, The Joe, Doug Hoyer, Ladyslippers and Bella Rebellion. Also, on August 8th, Joe Vickers of Audio/Rocketry will be doing a set of mining songs at The Miners’ Museum in Glace Bay.
